Television

Friday, November 20, 2015

Georgia executes convicted killer, may be the last execution of 2015

The 27th Execution of 2015

Marcus Ray Johnson convicted of killing a woman he met at a
Georgia nightclub was put to death on November 19, 2015.

Johnson was declared dead at 10:11
p.m. at the state prison in Jackson, Georgia Department of Corrections
officials said. Johnson was convicted in the March 1994 rape and murder of
Angela Sizemore in Albany, according to the Associated Press.

Johnson declined to make a final statement or have a
prayer said for him. The warden left the execution chamber at 9:44 p.m. Records
from previous executions show the lethal drug generally starts flowing within
minutes after the warden's exit.

Brian Kammer, an attorney for Johnson, had argued
his client shouldn't be executed because doubts remained about his guilt.
Prosecutors said there was no doubt Johnson killed Sizemore.

In a statement released after the execution was
over, Kammer said it "deepens the moral stain on the State of
Georgia." The application of the death penalty is characterized by
arbitrary, inaccurate and morally bankrupt judgments, he said.

"Georgia should be erring on the side of
caution, not rushing its citizens pell mell to the execution chamber,"
Kammer said.

Ken Hodges, who was Dougherty County district
attorney during Johnson's trial, sat next to Sizemore's daughter, Katie Barker,
as the two witnessed Johnson's execution.

"Of all the death penalty cases I had, what
happened to the victim in this case was the most vile and reprehensible of
any," he said. "He was the most deserving of the death penalty."

About Matt

An analysis of crime and punishment from the perspective of a former prosecutor and current criminal justice practitioner.
The views expressed on this blog are solely those of the author and do not reflect the opinions or postions of any county, state or federal agency.